If European countries don’t want to eliminate gas supply problems by building the South Stream pipeline, they should take responsibility for the possible transit risks, said Russian Minister of Economic Development Aleksey Ulyukayev.

"South Stream is a way to eliminate transit risks for
European consumers, if European consumers demand reducing the
risks, we will build South Stream, if not – then we won’t,"
Ulyukayev told reporters Wednesday.

He added that in this case the risk of violating the guarantees
of supply should be taken by those who refuse the opportunities
Russia offers.

Ulyukayev also said that the plans to build a gas pipeline to
China have nothing to do with Russia’s fulfillment of its
obligations towards European consumers.

"…we are talking about natural diversification and natural
energy balance of supply for different consumers," he added.

South Stream is a gas pipeline project led by Russia’s Gazprom
with a 64 billion cubic meter capacity. The pipeline is planned
to run via the Black Sea to South and Central Europe in order to
diversify export routes of natural gas, thus eliminating transit
risks. South Stream is expected to start operating at full
capacity in 2018.

The European Commission is trying to block the project, saying it
doesn’t meet the rules set out in the EU’s Third Energy Package,
which doesn’t allow a single company to both produce and
transport oil and gas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the project is
beneficial for Europe, and the red tape holdups are only
explained by political decisions.